Rooftop Sanctuary
by Amiyuu
Summary: Aomine was not a man of emotion. And while he wanted to be left alone so that his heart would stop misbehaving, he didn't want Kuroko to walk away and leave him with little more than broken pieces of it. But maybe there was just the tiniest sliver of hope. TWOSHOT.
1. Chapter 1

**It's been a while since I've written a complete story, and I was happy beyond belief that this was finally over. It's more angsty than I'd like, but I'm just in the mood for something a bit sad. Hope you enjoy it nonetheless!**

**Disclaimer: ****I do not own Kuroko no Basuke or its characters. Only the following story is my own.  
**

**Image Source: post/31386174334/seems-inumog-is-gunna-make-aomine-x-kuroko-hope**

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Aomine was not good at emotions.

If he had to choose one thing that he disliked above all else, it'd be to have to _analyze_ them. That was for women and lame guys like Kise, not a manly guy like himself. And if Aomine couldn't understand his emotions, then his emotions was an entity that could not even being to comprehend why he existed. Suffice to say he didn't do well with things that involved feelings.

But there was one person, the only person ever to make his heart skip a beat, make him unconsciously hold his breath, stammer and blush like a hormone-ravaged teenage girl, and fidget nervously in such a way that even as oblivious as he was, he knew what it meant.

The most ridiculous part was that his crush was an expressionless, emotionless bastard.

Okay, maybe calling him a bastard was going a bit too far.

Nonetheless, despite him obstinately telling himself that it was all a phase, there was a small voice in the back of his mind that kept insisting that this crush – if it wasn't anything more – wouldn't fade in time like his previous experiences.

It disturbed him more than he dared admit that his crush was his friend; perhaps his closest. This was bad enough as it was, but the way his heart palpitated whenever his hands brushed the soft, milky white skin of the other, or he found himself staring into mysterious pools of pale blue that seem flat and deep at the same time, or even when he saw one of the rare smiles that seem to tell of a hidden meaning…

He dropped his head onto his desk with a loud thunk. He was beyond help, he knew it. And though he wouldn't admit it even to himself, staring at the back of his crush's head while their teacher droned on at the front of the classroom, he wasn't sure if he wanted to be helped.

The fact that Kuroko Tetsuya was in the same basketball club and that they were all but joined at the hip during school hours meant that they spent practically all day in each other's company. It was starting to dawn on Aomine that such prolonged hours in the presence of someone he secretly wanted to ravage was not good for his heart. Or his head. Or any other part of his body, for that matter.

He was a coward, he knew, for hiding out on the roof of the school building instead of attending basketball practice, but he really couldn't be blamed. Watching Tetsu play was painful. The way his lips firmed up and his eyes sharpened. The beads of sweat that trailed enticingly down the column of his neck, the ridiculous way his hair stuck to his forehead, making his fingers itch to reach out and brush the bangs aside. In the past few weeks he'd noticed himself getting distracted whenever Tetsu was around. He'd almost missed the net a few times because of it.

It was bound to happen, he decided. He knew that nothing could ever amount from his crush, and he had no intention of telling Tetsu in this lifetime. But there were times when his guard was down. When they were fooling around and he'd almost given a voice to the feelings he'd tried to push away.

It was almost without conscious thought that he began to distance himself from Tetsu. He'd snatch back his hand when he realized that they were about to touch, or dash out of class as soon as the bell rang so that he wouldn't have to walk back with Tetsu and talk about trivial things. Because what he _really _wanted to talk about was a future with his counterpart. He wanted to be able to see what the blue-eyed boy would look like fast asleep, what he would look like in the morning getting ready for school, he wanted to see everything. His smiles, his frowns, the way his eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly when he was denied vanilla milkshakes, the softness when he knew you needed some cheering up.

God, he was starting to sound like that blonde bimbo.

He spent his days distracting himself with his studies, having decided that he would apply for a high school in Tokyo – far away from the temptation that was Tetsu. He stopped playing basketball almost completely, finding the joy was dissipated largely when he didn't have a good opponent. And because Tetsu wasn't there, there wasn't really anyone to encourage him, to keep him going.

It had been some three weeks since he'd started this strange routine and he was on the roof of the school building, skipping basketball practice for what was probably the umpteenth time - he didn't really care – lying on his back, trying to banish the memory of the hurt look Tetsu had given him the latest time he had brushed away his offer to go out for lunch. He closed his eyes with a sigh. When would the smaller boy start to get the hint and start leaving him alone?

A shadow appeared over him, blocking out the sunlight. He scrunched his eyebrows in irritation. Momoi kept trying to get him to go for basketball practice when he just couldn't give a damn. It wasn't like he needed to get any better; there wasn't anyone worth playing against.

"Go away." He said flatly, turning away from the shadow onto his side.

"That's not a very nice thing to say, Aomine-kun." His eyes flew open and he turned his head to stare at Kuroko. After a few seconds, he snorted and resumed his position, eyes closing again as he willed his heart to stop pounding.

"So you're going to be my new babysitter?" He asked scathingly. He didn't want Kuroko anywhere near him. He could feel his heart racing, and his breath seemed to come out in shallow puffs, his brain was flipping itself around his head, and he felt both nervous and elated. It pissed him off.

Undeterred by his foul attitude and ignorant to what was really going on beneath the façade, Kuroko settled down beside him and stared off into the distance. They remained like that for what seemed like an hour, neither saying a word, but completely comfortable in the silence. Feeling his heart settle, and his breathing even out, the excitement he had felt was turning into a sort of calm that only his friend could bring. The corner of Aomine's lips twisted up wistfully. This was what it had been like before stupid things like feelings had gotten in the way.

"Do you not like basketball any more, Aomine-kun?" He heard Kuroko's voice, unbelievably soft, float over his shoulder and barely manage to make it to his ears.

"I guess. There isn't really anyone worth playing, y'know?"

"You shouldn't stop practice. I'm sure you'll meet a worthy opponent one day."

"Then do you expect me to keep playing against useless people in the meantime?" Aomine scoffed. "I don't have time for weaklings."

This time, the silence was thick with something he couldn't put a name to.

"Is that why you have been avoiding me?" The words were softer than before, and he had to strain to catch them. It took him several moments to process what he had heard. Horrified, he shot up and turned towards Kuroko, an apology ready to burst from his lips.

"I – " The words died in his throat when he saw the sadness reflected in the pale blue eyes that he secretly adored. He looked away.

"That's not what I meant and you know it." He mumbled, feeling his cheeks heat up. Thank goodness he was tan.

"Then why have you been avoiding me?" He opened his mouth to answer, to say that it was because every time their eyes met, or their skin made contact, hell, even when he knew that Tetsu was somewhere in the same room, his mind would go into an incoherent frenzy, and his hands began to shake while his breath shortened and his chest tightened and he had to resist the urge to reach out and wrap his arms around the other's small frame. He wanted to feel his warmth, to inhale the smell of his skin, to be able to stare into his eyes and not feel ashamed of it.

He _wanted_ and it was freaking him out.

"No I haven't," he lied. He wanted to impale himself with something. "You're just imagining things."

Kuroko leveled him a look, pinning him where he was. It wasn't surprising that he would notice that he was feeding him bullcrap.

"I see," Kuroko pushed himself off the ground and brushed off dirt from his pants. "In that case, I will see you in class tomorrow."

With a bow, he turned and walked away, leaving Aomine to stare at his retreating back mentally slapping himself and feeling dread settle in his guts. He let out a string of expletives and fell back against the concrete, embracing the stabbing pain that burst over his spine. This kind of pain he could handle.

Two weeks later, he's hiding out on his rooftop sanctuary, a day before graduation when Kise comes sprinting up the staircase, abruptly stopping next to him. He barely gives the blonde a glance, wondering if the team members were taking turns to try to coax him to join practice again.

"I'm not gon-"

"Kurokocchi's gone!" Aomine froze. Literally. He felt a chill settle over his spine and the feeling of dread that had been seething in his guts since their conversation two weeks prior tripled in intensity and he felt it choke him and severe his nerves from his brain.

"What?" He asked dumbly. Maybe he had misunderstood him or Kise was just being over-dramatic as usual.

"He handed in his resignation letter to Akashicchi and just walked out of the gym! We can't find him anywhere!" The blonde was on the verge of tears, but the expression of distraught that contorted his handsome face was swimming blurrily in Aomine's vision. He then realized that he was _crying_. Hastily, he turned his back on his teammate and blinked furiously. He was a man. He was gonna fucking act like one.

"Okay," he replied, glad his voice didn't break.

"Wha – Aominecchi, why can you be so calm about this?!" Kise was appalled to say the least, and he reached out to turn his friend around to demand an explanation when the latter spun around angrily.

"I don't give a fuck about Tetsu, okay?" He gritted, feeling the lie slam like a jackhammer into his throat. "If he wants to leave, he can fucking leave. What his reasons are doesn't concern me."

With that, he grabs the uniform jacket that he had been using as a pillow and storms off. When he's out of the school compound he turns away from the direction his house was and makes his way towards the park. Once there he tosses himself down under a tree, hidden from view. Staring at the canopy above him, he finally allows himself to feel, and it comes to him in a tidal wave.

He finds himself drowning in disbelief, anger, resentment, pain, sadness, and guilt. Yet above all that, clawing at his throat and twisting his insides while his chest felt like it was being crushed under tonnes of it, was regret. He knew that no matter what he told himself, he was part of the reason – if not the whole of it – that his best friend had just upped and left without even a word of goodbye.

For the first time since he was 8, Aomine Daiki curled up into a ball and cried as he allowed wave after wave of emotion to wash over him.


	2. Chapter 2

**The second and final part! I'm glad that I was able to finish it on time, since I have a bad habit of procrastinating my work. Hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke or any of its characters. Only the following story is mine.**

Their encounter had been strange, to put it mildly.

And it had left Aomine hurting and feeling guilty all over again. What was worse was that it had taken barely more than their eyes meeting for him to be completely smitten again. It had stung, seeing Kuroko so happy with his new team. He'd been infuriated when he had heard from Kise and Midorima that they had finally located Tetsu and that he was in a completely insignificant team. It hurt his pride to think that he had been ditched for some bunch of wannabes who had barely been in the game for two years.

Yet, he knew that his anger was not justified. He didn't own Tetsu, and had in fact been the one to push him away. Every time he thought of what he had done, the guilt welled up inside of him. But in the past months he had been able to quell it so that it was now just a dull ache. It had all come undone the first time they locked eyes across the court. All the feelings he had ignored until then came rushing forward and he had to avert his eyes so that the other didn't see the relief and the unbridled joy that had him wanting to dance around the court like some kind of gay musical.

He'd gone through the game pretending that Kuroko was a sworn enemy, a status he extended to his new partner, who was useless, by the way. What did Tetsu even _see_ in that idiot? Of course, he'd destroyed them, and he had shown Tetsu just how good he was. And though reluctant to admit it, he had enjoyed himself immensely. He could hardly remember a time when he had wanted to break out into laughter just from playing basketball.

It was the end of the game and he was walking out with his teammates, silently contemplating their meeting on the court while the others discussed dinner when something made him turn around. Walking out from a different exit was Kuroko and his new team. For a moment, their eyes met and he felt his pulse quicken. Before he could will his frozen muscles to move, the smaller boy had turned away and said something to his teammates, making all of them grin. They looked worn out, but happy. Aomine couldn't get that. How could losing be good?

He turned back and took greater strides to catch up to his teammates and purposefully ignored the ache he felt from being ignored so blatantly.

A few days later, he was staring off into space, paying no attention to the teacher at the front of the classroom when he felt the vibrations from his phone through the material of his bag. He reached down and pulled out the small device, flipping the screen open to check his messages. His eyes widened slightly when he saw the name flashing on his screen. It had been nearly a year since he had last seen that name crop up on his phone.

He hit the button to open the message.

_Is Aomine-kun going to be returning from Tokyo during the weekend?_

Afraid to give himself the opportunity to read too much into the text, he pressed a few keys and sent a reply.

_I don't live in Tokyo, I commute daily so I'll be around during the weekend. What's up? _

He snapped the phone shut and curled his fingers tightly around it, willing an answering text. His wish was granted when his phone buzzed in his hand seconds later.

_Oh, I see. I have that new movie by the actor that Aomine-kun liked a lot in middle school. Do you want to come over and watch it?_

He felt himself smile when his eyes skimmed over the words. He knew which actor Kuroko was referring to. He had gone on for hours about his amazing acting skills when they were in Teiko. Of course, Aomine no longer fancied him nearly as much as he had back then, but hell would freeze over before he turned down the chance to see Tetsu again.

_Yeah, that would be great. _

He quickly sent the text, not wanting to give Kuroko the chance to change his mind.

_I will see you on Saturday, then._

He reread the curt message a few times, feeling as though there was a hidden meaning he was supposed to find. He scrolled up and read their texts to each other again, noting wryly how all of Kuroko's words had been short and straight to the point. Well, it was Kuroko, after all. He just _had_ to have fallen in love with him.

Unconsciously, his eyes landed on the last message he received from the other and he buried his face in his arms on top of his desk so that no one else would notice the giddy grin that he couldn't wipe off.

"Ah, Aomine-kun, sorry I kept you waiting." The said boy looked up from the sidewalk he had fixed his gaze on while he waited for Kuroko to arrive. The night after he had received Kuroko's offer, they had discussed where they would meet and the time.

"It's fine, I haven't been waiting long." He lied. He had, in fact, not slept a wink last night, and his body was reminding him of it. He had been so nervous that as soon as the light of dawn had broken through his curtains he had jumped out of bed and had had trouble keeping still. Then he had decided to run around the park a few times – to burn off the nervous energy and to kill time before he had to meet Kuroko. Even after running around the park until the sun was high in the sky, and having taken what felt like a very long and luxurious bath, he had found himself outside the shop they had agreed on an hour ahead of time.

He had cursed himself, but realizing that there was nothing he could do but wait, he had propped himself against the wall beside the store and watched disinterestedly as people walked past him. Luckily for him, though, Kuroko had a habit of being punctual, if not early, and he hadn't had to wait for very long before the latter showed up.

"Have you eaten?" Kuroko asked, stepping out of the way of a passer-by who didn't notice him. Aomine shook his head.

"Let's have lunch, then. I didn't have the time for breakfast." He turned and walked off, with Aomine at his heels. He watched the pale boy as they walked, noticing that he really hadn't grown any taller. No time for breakfast, he said? Did that mean that he had slept in late? Was he the only of the two getting worked up about meeting again after what had happened in middle school? The urge to voice all the unanswered questions that had bred in the back of his mind had him biting his bottom lip. He didn't want to ruin this chance at reconciliation.

Finally, they entered a fast food restaurant and as they made their way to the counter, Aomine found himself reverting to old habits and ordering Tetsu's alongside his. In middle school they had adopted this pattern because it saved Tetsu the time it took to have to get the cashier's attention. He glanced apprehensively at the shorter boy, but found no sign of protest. He paid, and followed Tetsu to a table in the back of the establishment.

They ate in silence, partly because Aomine didn't know what to say – and he was usually the one doing the talking – and partly because he suddenly found himself ravenous. All the pent up nervousness had subsided and the morning run coupled with the gaping chasm left behind by the absence of worry made him glad that he had ordered three burgers instead of one. When he paused halfway through a burger to take a sip of coke, he glanced up and found Kuroko watching him, chewing slowly as though lost in thought.

When he caught Aomine's stare, he averted his eyes and a faint blush crept up his cheeks. Aomine figured he wasn't used to being noticed when he watched others. Refusing to make the situation any more uncomfortable than it was, Aomine attacked his remaining burgers with a vengeance, and had popped the last bite into his mouth just as Kuroko finished his own. They finished their drinks and left, again without any words. Once outside, though, Kuroko seemed to relax a bit, and his shoulders seemed less tense.

They strolled in the direction of his house, and Aomine found it surprisingly easy to get into the flow of conversation with the other. It was like the months since they had last spoken as friends melted away and it had been only yesterday that they had shared a joke. He said something teasingly and Kuroko retorted, causing him to burst out in laughter. He had missed this. It had been ages since he had last felt so alive.

At their destination, Kuroko waved Aomine towards the kitchen, telling him to help himself to whatever he could find while he went and got the movie set up. Though he hadn't set foot in the house for a while, the tan boy found that nothing major had changed, and he moved around the kitchen with familiarity, putting together some snacks and grabbing a drink from the fridge and a tub of ice cream, remembering that Kuroko preferred eating vanilla ice cream while he watched a movie.

When he opened the door to the blue-eyed boy's room, Kuroko was just scooting back from the front of the tv. The taller of the two set the snacks on the floor between them and leaned back against the bed. Kuroko flopped down on the bed on his belly, his small frame making it possible for him to stretch out without being uncomfortable. He dangled off the side next to Aomine and stretched out his fingers as an indication for Aomine to pass him the ice cream. Reaching over, the ace pulled the tub towards him and also grabbed the remote.

He reached over his shoulder to pass the cold confection, and jolted at the sensation of Kuroko's fingers brushing over his. Aomine fisted his hand as he pulled away, grateful that he was faced away from Kuroko and pressed the play button on the remote.

The movie was lacking a real plot, and the leading lady was a bore. The actor he had idolized before was still as good as he remembered, but the other elements of the movie were boring him to death. He felt his eyelids droop; the lack of sleep was making them feel heavy and his brain fuzzy.

Aomine didn't realize when he fell asleep, but the next thing he saw when he opened his eyes was Kuroko's face. Much, _much_ too close to his. He let out an uncharacteristic yelp and jerked away from him.

"The movie is over," Kuroko intoned as he, thankfully, leaned away from Aomine. The navy-haired boy glanced behind Kuroko to see the credits rolling up the screen.

"Sorry," he mumbled gruffly. This was not how he had expected things to go. "Guess I was more tired than I thought."

"Aomine-kun," The tan boy looked at Kuroko, eyebrow raised in askance. "Am I causing you trouble?"

He was shocked speechless. What had given Tetsu such a crazy idea?

"Of course not," he replied with a huff. "What makes you think that?"

Kuroko moved so that he mirrored Aomine's position. "Although I asked you if you wanted to watch the movie, if you weren't interested you didn't have to force yourself."

"It's not like that," he burst out before he could stop himself. The ace lowered his voice, embarrassed. "I really did want to watch it with you."

The pale blue-haired boy said nothing, staring unseeingly at the tv screen. Aomine took a deep breath. He knew he was digging his grave, but if he didn't try to patch things up now, he never would be able to.

"Listen, Tetsu, about what happened in Teiko –" he paused when he saw Kuroko visibly flinch. " – I want to apologize."

This time, Kuroko turned to look at him, obviously surprised at his words. He wasn't expecting an apology. "When you asked why I was avoiding you, it was be-because – " here he faltered, wondering if the lack of sleep was making him stupider than he realized. The wide eyes Kuroko trailed on him forced him on, however.

"It was 'cause I liked you." There. He'd gotten it out there in the open. He wished the ground would open up and swallow him before he could make any more stupid decisions. Kuroko was quiet for a while.

"I liked you too." Aomine stared at his former partner in shock.

"What?"

"I wouldn't have considered you my best friend otherwise." Kuroko said simply. Aomine wanted to slam his face into a wall or something.

"I mean I _like _liked you, Tetsu. I had a crush on you." He wanted to run out the door screaming or to just melt into a puddle right then. Either would be ideal at the moment. Kuroko was silent for so long that Aomine really contemplated bolting out the door. He suddenly looked up.

"Is that why you were mumbling my name in your sleep just now?" Okay, forget melting into a puddle. Would a freight train just run him over right now, please?

"I – Well – I suppose," he said finally, defeated. Kuroko nodded, looking away thoughtfully.

"I guess I _like _liked Aomine-kun too." He wasn't a religious person, but he prayed to God for the patience to get through this with his integrity still attached.

"What makes you say that?" Kuroko turned serious eyes towards him.

"I got a funny feeling whenever I touched you," He mused, a small pout forming on his lips. The amount of adorable in that single movement of his facial muscles had Aomine curling his fingers into his pants to stop from reaching out. The words he uttered were not helping the least.

"And I couldn't stop thinking of you at the weirdest times. Like in the middle of dinner." He continued, not noticing what he was doing to the ace besides him. Finally, he turned fully towards Aomine and the latter noted a small frown had formed on his lips.

"I also had a few dreams of you kissing me, though they weren't ver –" The navy-haired ace couldn't take it anymore. Admitting that he had dreamt of being kissed by Aomine had been his final undoing and he lunged forward, crushing his lips against Tetsu's, relishing in the sweetness of the ice cream he had been consuming earlier. When they were running out of air, Aomine finally pulled away, and they both sat staring at each other, breathing shallow.

"Like that?" Aomine asked huskily. Pink tinged Kuroko's cheeks as he looked away with an almost imperceptible nod.

He leaned sideways until his head bumped into Kuroko's shoulder. With a sigh he said, "Wish you had told me back then."

"Do you still like me?" This time, Aomine was the one silent for a long while as he contemplated his answer. When Kuroko began to squirm, he leveled himself up and planted his hands on Kuroko's shoulders, making sure that he met his gaze.

"Always," he said as he leaned forward, lips hovering fractions of an inch away from the smaller boy's. "What about you?"

Kuroko met his gaze full on, and without a word, he stretched the small distance until their lips met, and Aomine let himself reach out and wrap his arms around Kuroko's shoulders and pull him closer.

Aomine wasn't good with emotions. But sometimes, he didn't really mind.


End file.
